3 types of Millennials that you should know

If there’s one particular ‘category’ of worker that is coming to increasingly dominate offices across Ireland, it is the Millennial. This is the term given to those members of the labour force born between the early 1980s and the early 2000s, and they distinctly differ from previous generations.

Age aside, Millennials are easy to spot by their proactive, determined, ambitious – perhaps even arrogant – approach. These aren’t staffers who are simply “honoured” to work for you and therefore willing to accept whatever you tell them to do and say.

Millennials have their own ideas of how things should be done, and while this can pose a few problems from time to time, it’s also what makes them brilliant. However, not all Millennials are the same – likely falling into one of the below three categories.

1. The overconfident/entitled Millennial

This is perhaps the ‘stereotypical’ Millennial among many of the older generations. They’re the Millennials who often come from more privileged backgrounds and as a result of their education, might see themselves – often inaccurately – as the ‘crème de la crème’ of the workforce.

If you are employing this kind of Millennial, don’t thrust them into a top leadership role straight away. Instead, give them a role with some responsibilities in which they can learn their strengths and weaknesses and prove themselves before moving up to the next level.

2. The unconfident/deferent Millennial

This direct opposite of the overconfident Millennial often possesses great qualities that are not always outwardly obvious due to a serious lack of confidence. They’re constantly doubting themselves and agreeing with what everyone else says, therefore failing to make the most of their potential.

Help this Millennial to start giving orders rather than taking orders by slowing moving them into ever-more responsible roles. This type of Millennial needs to be gradually encouraged out of their comfort zone.

3. The entrepreneurial Millennial

Here’s the Millennial who may be your company’s inspirational leader in the years to come – someone who loves to take control and see things through from start to finish, and who possesses inherent leadership ability that encourages others to follow their lead.

These Millennials need to be suitably groomed to extract their maximum potential. Don’t leave them to stagnate doing the same old, unchallenging thing over and over – give them lots of variety in their working lives and make sure they are constantly growing and taking on new challenges.

Want to do a better job of identifying the most talented and suitable Millennials for your vacancies? Make sure you use the leading recruitment management software of Webrecruit Ireland, and you can soon assemble a hugely formidable team of young people.